James Bradwell

James Bradwell credits include: Television: The Bremmer Files (UKTV), The Split (BBC), Back to Life (BBC), Victoria (ITV); Theatre: Romeo & Juliet (Friar Lawrence) and Richard III (Archbishop of York, Bishop of Ely, Earl of Oxford, u/s Richard III) at Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre, Blenheim Palace; Read Not Dead (2019 season) at Shakespeare’s Globe.

2018 Constellation Creatives Bursary Winner: "People are more likely to go for opportunities in life if they know that support is there to pursue them. In offering this Bursary to graduating students of BEA/BsEA heritage, New Earth make actors like me feel more welcome in this industry. I'm proud to be a recipient of such support, which I hold as testament too to the support and opportunity I received in training at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Whilst there is I feel a way to go in traditional training before true inroads in reaching equality are made across all institutions, I encountered staff at BOVTS who bravely acknowledged their ignorance, made clear their openness and listened to the needs and demands of its diverse student body. As a result, in places, changes were made to curricular practice and content that better allow students to explore their sense of heritage, which felt critical to my experience in readying me for this industry. Drama schools train a vast portion of tomorrow’s acting population, and so there is an opportunity to not only prepare training actors to cope with our current industry, but also educate and empower them to find ways to change it.

Change comes from within, and as I have said, the right support emboldens those with the means to make that change. The Constellation Creatives Bursary represents not only financial support at a key time in my exit from full time training, but also a clear, encouraging marker that there are those who wish for the success of BEA/BsEA actors. I want to thank Orion Lee and Yellow Earth for being amongst those who have made me feel welcome, wanted and valid in this industry."